Watchdog
by Niras91
Summary: What happened before Shepard recruited Mordin? Who would help him guard his clinic? And can he figure out who his watchdog is? Can the watchdog survive the skirmish of the mercs? (i suck at summarys... )
1. Chapter 1

This is my first story, so please be patient with me. And english is NOT my first language, so be prepared to see mistakes. Hope you will like my little story^^

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The dancefloors were crowded, light dancing on bodies, red, blue, green, ever changing.

You could easily get lost in the erratic dancing light, the spots, the lines, the twirls.

Loud music silenced every other sound, every thought is clouded by deep basses.

Hearts raced, sweat droped, bodies pressing against another, grinding, pushing, savoring every contact.

The smell of alcohol is omnipresent and the smell of body fluids is just beneath it.

Loud, hard and dirty, the Afterlife on Omega. The kingdom of lust, hatred, angst and power.

And above every other being, the Queen of Omega, Aria, sat on her sofa, smiling to a thought, drinking exclusive wine and showing good mood. On her inside she was cursing like an old fisherman about his wife.

More and more guests had become ill, on the dancefloor were more humans than ever. Just a few turians, a little more asari, hand full salarians and batarians and exactly 4 krogans were dancing, drinking and laughing.

It wouldn`t take any longer for the illness to cost her, Aria, a lot of money.

And Aria wasn`t amused by that thought.

But then, there was a way to get it back flowing.

She had heard the stories about a specific clinic in the quarantine district, founded by a salarian scientist.

Also she heard the rumors about the merc-gangs, that wanted to attack the clinic just to get their hands on some samples and cure devices. Bad stories, indeed.

If they were successful than the balance of power would be changed, and not to her personal benefit that was for sure.

Aria sighed, taking a new breath, considering her options. After a few minutes of measuring a few options, she clicked two of her fingers softly against each other.

One of her personal servants bent down to her, lowering a tablet on eyesight. On top of it was a small, delicate messenger and another glass of wine. She took both things, placing her old glass on the tablet and motioned for the servant to step away. She opened the messenger function, scrolling down on her list to name, which seemed to be more accurate for a function.

She smiled again, tapping on her glass and taking a small sip, as she decided what to write.

After that, she put the messenger next to her on the sofa, although not waiting for an answer of the obedient watchdog. The evening could still get better, she thought, taking another sip and looking down at the dancefloor.

* * *

_Quarantine district. Salarian doctor named Solus works on a cure for the newly spread disease. Intel says that mercs want to party too. Guard him and his work, fulfill your names duties , watchdog. If I am pleased, the payment will be as ever. If I am not, you better be dead._

* * *

The ring tone on my messenger woke me with a start. I rose on my elbows, moaning, starring on the clock on the wall. 0248 standard time on Omega. Sighing I took my messenger from under the pillow and stared a few seconds on the originator.

"**Ice queen**".

I opened the message. It was short and effective, like always with the ice queen. And like always I would not answer, she knew I would take the assignment.

I kicked of the thin blankets and yawned. 4 hours of sleep should be enough so I strode to the bathroom, shivering under the cold water in the shower.

Back in my room I dropped to my knees, grabbing the big sports-bag from under my bed and lifting it onto it.

"I am human, the disease will not affect me. No worry about that. Ice queen mentioned mercs, so it will be more than one gang. A lot of fights for me, a lot of death for them. Got to take enough ammo with me. Should I reveal myself to Doctor Solus? Nope, until it is really necessary I won't do that. A salarian doctor, so he is a brain head. Survived long enough on this station, should be able to handle some weapons to stay alive so long. Tries to help the people. So that might ad some good karma on me. Glad I can help with that." I murmured to myself while sliding in my under-armor and then into my dark green main armor. After closing the last clasp I stripped on my utility belt and looked at my helmet which was the last piece on my bet. It was old, battle worn and scarred. And it hid my identity. Like my armor, it made me look androgynous, so no one could tell if I were a woman or a man. Most of the people didn't even know that I was human.

With long strides I crossed my room, opening some cupboards and threw ammo, food, water and some weapons on my bed.

An old hunting rifle, a shotgun and a pistol, followed by Kryo-, EMP- and normal ammo. After a few more thoughts I took my second credit stick as well, it would take me a while to fulfill this contract.

I gathered my things, holstered my weapons and headed to the door, scanning for any signs of live outside my apartment. Nothing I had to worry about.

The alleyway was dark, full of garbage, stinking and disgusting. Far away from the nightlife. Far away from pulsing life, from the merchants, from the little street fights. It was my little paradise, quiet and dark. Nobody would notice, would want to notice, strange things which would happen here. Nobody cared. Just one reason i loved this.

Giant rats fled as I stepped out of my hideout, closing my door and activated my little surprise-trap for thieves with my Omnitool.

I would have to make my way through several vents to get to the district.

It would be a long way, a narrow way in some parts.

After a last look at my door I trotted of in the direction of the first vent. The first vent out of 7...

Sometimes karma wasn't my friend...


	2. First Meeting

Hello there^^ Thanks for the nice review XD it took me a while to write this chapter, hope you will enjoy it XD

i don`t own ME, just my own OC ^^

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It took me over two hours to crawl through the vents. Two hours of sweating, cursing and hoping. Two hours to get access to an Abyss... I couldn`t see it different. The streets and alleys were all silent, no sign of intelligent life, no people around, no laughing, no prayers. Nothing. Quiet and smelling.

I considered myself lucky that my helmet filtered most of the disgusting smells, but i had to try my hardest not to choke on the rest that tortured my nostrills.

I left the vents over a market place with small shops for food and everyday goods for every race. Two small cafè and a restaurant stood out between the other shops. A small repairshop with it`s glowing signs was the only eye-catcher. 4 Alleys lead away from the market, all leading to different parts of the district.

I dropped down from the vent in front of a shop for Asari clothes and checked my map. In order to get to the clinic i would have to take the alley which would lead my west.

As soon as i entered it, a sterile, hospital like smell took over and erased every other disgusting detail written in the air. Apartments and houses stood at both sides, telling me that at least _someone_ had to be living here! The people seemed to try to sterilize this place, or, they tried, to stop the disease.

With slow steps i approached the nearest door and knocked. It sounded like an church bell on a graveyard at midnight through the, all so silent, alley.

Nothing happended, no answer, no sound but my racing heart. It was all so wrong. Omega had to be loud and full of sweating people fighting about nothing with each other. I shivered and turned my eyes back to the house fassade, scanning it for open windows. But they were all sealed, as if the people were just asleep.

Frowning i stepped nearer to the door again and tapped the panel on the right side.

The red colour changed to light green one an the door slowly moved, opening a black hole for me to enter.

„Hello? Anybody there? Don`t shoot, i will do no harm!" i yelled into the darkness, waiting for an answer that would never come. I activated my light on my helmet, drawed my pistol and slowly entered the apartment.

It was a small living room with a small kitchen build in it. One sofa, old and with stains, two chairs and a small metal table were lying broken on the floor, the metal table covered with dents. It lokked like a Krogan with a sugar-high rampaged his way through the room. Bloody handprints covered one wall and a samll stinking pool of undefined fluids soaked the sofa cushions.

I examined the handprints, three taloned-hands with claws and blue blood.

A turian handprint.

Two different sizes.

A couples, siblings or just friends?

The blood was long dry, i guessed that, what ever had happened here, happened at least three days ago.

One other door catched my attention, there was light shining through a small opening. Cautious, i approached it, pulled it open with my weapon pointed in front of me and then i entered the room. But as soon as i took two stepsin, i holstered my weapon again. There was no need for it in here...

The room was a bedroom. A big, turian-style bed was placed in the center, a huge shelf covered one of the walls. The other three walls were occupied with hundreds of pictures and drawings and photos. Every one of them showed me different storiey, different people and scenes from a better world, captured in frames. Most pictures and photos showed me a turian couple in diverse locations and poses. He was a dark red, nearly brown turian with green markings in his face. The female at his site was a light blue turian with the same markings. A camera sat on one small shelf next to a lovely snapshot with the couple as they were laughing at something the viewer could just guess...

My gaze wandered back to the bed and the two figures on it.

Two pairs of broken and unseeing eyes stared at me and sent a chill down my spine.

The womans head lied down on her partners chest, his hands covered her waist in a protective way.

They had died like they had lived. Together.

„That picture will hunt me in my nightmares.." i mumbled and stepped closer to the bed. Carefull and slowly i reached my hand towards their heads and closed their eyes.

There were two reasons for that. First, it was a way to honour the dead. Second, i just couldn?t stand the hollow stares any longer.

I left the bedroom, turned the light off and closed the door again.

„Worse than i expected. Just a few days since the disease got called a quarantine reason. And you already died.. At least, you had each other, i don`t think that others were so lucky. Sleep well and may the spirts guide your way to what ever afterlife you had." I murmured. Sighing i scanned the livingroom for something usefull, the couple wouldn`t need it anymore, but any survivor would be in need of help.

After ten minutes i gathered a medium sized bag-pack and filled it with instant-dextro-food, some tools for electric works and cables. Never know when you will need some.

After i left the apartment i looked down the alley.

„4 more apartments in this alley, a few at the market, lots more in the real housing blocks. I don`t want to know how many more houses behind the clinic. Don`t want to know, how many people already died..." i thought while checking my map with the highlighted clinic in the center of it.

„There could be more ressources around, but i wasted to much tme crawling through the vents. As much as i want to know about the other people living here, i have to go and check the main target."

I started walking, a bad feeling clawing at my heart.

I have to obey. I am just a Watchdog..

My way lead me through several alleys, all empty, stinking, full of garbage that even a rat wouldn`t eat. I had turned around a corner, heading to a fork in the path when i found the fist dead merc. I froze in my tracks, drawing my pistol again and rushed to the wall on my left. My HUD showed no living thing in about 150 metres. With a few strides i stood in front of the corpse and mustered it. Blood covered the broken visor, i could see bones stuck out of the flesh and the smell was really disgusting.

I got to my knees, opening the mechanism of his visor and took it off. A salarian head rolled to the side, jaw dropping and eyes unblinking. The hole in his chest was one of the biggest wounds that i could see from my point, the armor around it looked burned. Two needle wounds with burned skin around it in his neck indicated a heavy and nasty taser attack.

My HUD beeped and on an instant i pointed my weapon to the left way.

A small child stood there, clinging to the hand of an elderly asari. Both had just rounded another corner and froze when they noticed me and my weapon. The older Asari wore a red dress that covered her whole body but the head. A silver necklace rounded her throat, a little rose pendant dangled between her breasts. Her hands were scarred.

The child wore an orange dress with yellow stripes and dots on the neck.

Both looked at my with wide, shocked eyes.

For a few second nobody moved as i let my eyes wander over the two. No weapons to be seen, but Asari are biotic, so i would have to be cautious. I lowered my pistol a bit to show that i wasn`t a danger to them

„Please! Don`t shoot us! We.. We have no money! We just need help! My niece... she is sick.. please don`t harm us!" the elderly asari begged and shoved the child behind her to protect it. Her voice was hoarse, but with a strength underneath that woul easily could metal.

As if to confirm her words, the child coughed hard and swayed a little on her feet.

„I will not kill you. I have no reason for that. I am not a killer! And i would never hurt a child!" i stated angry.

How could she think that I would harm an innocent life? But then... The people here didn`t knew me, i had worked in other districts till now.

The child looked relived and gave me small smile, while the old Asari lost a bit of her tension.

I sighed loud and holstered my pistol again, which made the old female loosing up a little more.

„Who are you?" she asked and ran her eyes over my old armor.

„I am Watchdog." i only stated and waited for her to react. She lost a little bit of her colour but it took her only seconds to gain her strength back. She wanted to talk again but whirled around when her niece startet to caugh harder than before, dropping to her knees. Little hands clenched to her chest and she gasped for air. That was serious, very serious.

„AISA!" the old Asari yelled and kneeled in front of the child, trying to steady her, to help her breath. With long strides i was at their side, suprising the old one and scooped the child in my arm, pushing her head in her neck to apply one of my 5 medi-gel on her throat.

I turned around again, making my way to the other path which would lead us to the clinic, maybe it wasn`t to late for the small child in my arms.

„Quick now! The clinic isn`t far from here. She needs help as soon as possible. Follow be!" i barked to the Asari and began jogging, not turning my head to confirm if she would attack or follow me. I had only made 3 steps as i heard another pair of footsteps behind me.

I looked down on the small child, breathing heavy in my arms and clawing at my armor in pain.

„Be strong, little pup." i whispered to her.

* * *

-Mordins POV-

Mordin examined the, now sleeping, child on a cot in his clinic. Breathing and heartbeat were stable. An olderly Asari sat behind him, sobbing, her eyes never leaved the figure on the cot.

„It helped you?" Mordin asked again, thoughts racingthrough his brain. The woman nodded.

„Yes, he or she, I don`t realy know that, scooped my niece in it`s arms an then we jogged to your clinic, Doctor. But as It spotted the cameras it stopped and handed my niece back to me, also giving me a bag full of dextro food and waited till i entered the clinic." she explained in a low tone.

The salarian doctor turned his head to her, his face a blank mask.

_Merc? No, would have killed her and the child without mercy. Other rason? Profit? No, would have come to me and would threaten me with death and punishment. Thief? No, wouldn`t help anyone._

_Can`t figure out yet. Not enough information. Nothing on the security footage. Clever. Have to wait to solve this riddle. But will not allow failure._


	3. Rules

It should have been a good day for Tekti.

He had a good breakfast with lots of raw meat, he had intense sex with a female from another squad – he still could feel how his teeth sank in the softer flesh of his partners neck- he was excited about his job. And he loved his new toy!

A week ago, his employers had given him a flamethrower.

A fucking FLAMETHROWER! For his own use!

Oh, how happy he was! Such a glorious day.

And today, his employers had given his squad and him a new job.

`Raid the clinic through a building at it's back, a butcher shop which shared a wall with the clinic storage room.`

The plan, his leader had come up with, was very simple and to his liking.

Go to the butcher shop, intrude the butcher shop, find the shared wall, place some little bombs, let it explode, go through the hole and use his new, lovely toy to grill all living things inside while laughing like a madman.

Tekti really loved this plan!

He should have been a really happy vorcha and he was.

Until they reached the alley which would lead to the butcher shop. It was L-shaped and he could see no doors or windows on the various buildings, just plain gray walls with small walkways in 7 meters high.

This walkways were so small that only one person could walk on it and even that would have been very difficult. These walkways were connections between several houses, leading to stairs or roofs.

Tekti snapped his eyes back to the alley. Several crates and dumpsters were cowering in the dark, no light reached the bottom, leaving the ground in shadows and darkness.

He tensed, snarled and looked at his squad mates.

3 other vorcha were sniffing and snarling, tense as boards and looking to the krogan leader of their pack.

The krogan shifted his weight from one foot to the other, for a few seconds, snorted and growled a commando for his subordinates to enter the alley, ignoring the stressed glances between the vorcha.

Cautious steps were taken, the pack walked in a tight formation, the unnerving feeling increased. Tekti walked at the rear end of the formation, his hands touched his beloved flamethrower, caressed the metal parts. He was also a little bit slow, the weight of the ammunition bottle on his back was slowing him down.

Tekti stepped aside as he smelled masses of Testosterone coming up from behind, he let the krogan stomp past him, growling at the cautious pack.

"See? Here is nothing! Nothing to be afraid of! You are a pack of mercs! You have fucking weapons! But you act like a bunch of fucking human babies!" roared the Krogan as he grabbed the nearest, and now very unlucky, vorcha to his right and pushed him hard, further into the shadows of the alley.

Time froze at the moment the unlucky vorcha tumbled and fought for his balance. He didn`t dare to move for a few seconds, which felt like ages to him.

Nothing happened.

He let out a breath, he didn't know holding in and fought to look at ease . His body screamed, tense and stiff, as he looked back over his shoulder to snarl at the others.

The first step was the hardest for Tekti. You couldn't see your own feet, just feel the ground, swallowed by the shadows.

His pack was in front of him, slowly moving to the middle of the L-shaped way. The corner came near with every little step and with it came some feeling of danger.

He wanted to know, wanted to know what would happen if somebody would take the little, daring, step around the corner.

The Krogan stomped his way, vanishing from sight as he took the last few steps.

Tekti held his breath, again, and chuckled at his own reaction afterward.

He walked a little bit faster, to close the opening gap between him and his pack. Right before the corner stood a lone dumpster, full of garbage and smelling like turian feet fresh out of battle, but Tekti froze.

He sniffed.

Oil, blood and something familiar hit his nose but he couldn't lay a finger on it. Where had he...

Two loud `BANG!`let him forget every thought. Two, nearly, silent `Thuds` followed after a sharp intake of breath. The Krogan pack leader roared, shouting incoherent words, jumped back around the corner just to crash into Tekti.

The smell of fresh blood, related blood, rose in the small alley, sweet and deadly.

"Damn it! Didn't saw that coming! Where?!" barked the Krogan, eyes shifting fast from place to place, his weapon ready in his hand.

Tekti shivered. Adrenalin flooded his systems, a little cackle flew from his mouth.

He would fight! He loved fighting!

With strong strides he turned the corner to see two of his three companions crouched on the ground, a big pool of blood underneath.

The third member pressed his back against the wall, eyes wide open and his nose crinkled.

Tekti growled as he lifted his flamethrower, searching for the killer but failed to see one.

"What?...Where?..." he yelled but got no answer for his questions. The sound of armors clashing against another let him turn around and racing to his pack leader.

The Krogan blocked half of the alley with his body, his arms holding tight to a deep green, bulky armor, weapons on the floor, out of reach for both fighters.

"Pah! Tiny being! You are weak! You are not worth a fight. I will crush you and let the rats eat your puny brain!" he roared, pushing the enemy against the wall, eliciting the sound of cracking armor. There was no scream, no struggle and this should made Tekti feel better, but his every instinct screamed at him, to run away as long as he had both legs to claim for himself. He could use his weapon but then he would roast the pack leader.

(The short metal image of a roasted, juicy Krogan with a bit salt and herbs crossed his mind and his stomach growled loudly.)

So Tekti just stood there, nearly frozen, as he observed something that had to be a trick!

The Krogans hands were around the throat of the armored being, should have suffocated it, but...

IT just punched the Krogan in his eye, moved it's other hand, which held a nasty looking knive, and thrust it in the open mouth before it's helmet. The roar stopped suddenly, disbelieving followed.

A pained shout fought it's way out of the Krogan, who stumbled back, releasing his enemy in the process.

"Rule 9: Never go out without a knive!" said the guy, almost casual with this mechanical ruptured voice, which send shivers through Tekti.

He found himself again, lifting his beloved weapon, but his lack of action prior had cost him precious seconds.

The guy jumped to the ground, touching it's weapon, a pistol, and shot at him.

Tektis knees buckled, gave way before his brain was filled with pain.

He couldn't move his legs anymore!

He started screaming, tacked at his useless legs, saw the holes in his kneecaps, but couldn't understand how, just...

Why didn't the guy killed him?, he asked himself just as the green figure leapt over him, shooting once again. The loud bangs were muffled to Tekti by pain and adrenalin.

His blood pooled around him, forming a little red sea. He became lightheaded, not hearing the Krogans screams of fatigue or the small, silent, pleadings from his comrade.

Tekti jerked his head up as he felt someone dragging him nearer to the lying Krogan, the bones sticking out of his legs and arms near big holes. When had that happened? he wondered shortly.

His eyes, unfocused and then focused again, wandered back to his killer, who was sticking something flat to his tank.

Red lights blinking fast. It looked like candles which were glued together.

His breathing, labored, stopped.

Oh-fucking-no...

A hard hand landed on his head and he stared at the helmet, couldn't see a face behind that colored full face visor but he could, almost, tell that the man or woman in front of him was smiling dreadfully.

"Rule 31: DO NOT STAND BEHIND CHARGE!" the guy stated, walking away and held up his/her arm to wave goodbye.

Tekti stared and seconds before the arm lowered he understood this was, actually, a fucking bad day..

"Shit!"

_I looked at the fireball which rose in the alley, ducked behind a large dumpster. The screams stopped suddenly and every thing left was silence and the smell of burned meat and metal. _

_I stared back to the small manual in my hands and chuckled darkly. My arms dealer had told me the story of a man a few years ago on Citadel. This man had blown a skyscraper to it's half size and nearly killed himself while reading the manual and forgot the last point._

"_Do not stand behind the charge!"_

_The guy was alive, for all that my dealer knew._

_Embarrassing story but worth a good laugh._

_What was his name? Mhmmm.. Something related to an old earth movie... Huh.. Well, I would ask my dealer the next time. Providing he didn't laughed himself to death by then._

_I had asked him who told him the story._

"_A fucking quarian merchant with a weird sense for chicks!"_


End file.
